Well, that was about 3 years ago.  I think I’ve grown a little since then (well, at least I hope so).

What Was Wrong With My Thinking Back Then?

Well, not so much that my thinking “was wrong”, more like I didn’t feel unique.  I didn’t feel strong enough in my knowledge base to be so bold as to write a book about it.  I mean a few posts here and there, consulting with clients telling them what I read and what I know – that just didn’t seem to be enough.  (In my mind).  But what I did fail to recognize is that I AM UNIQUE.  I mean, WE ARE ALL UNIQUE in our own ways.

You can fill a city block full of restaurants and each restaurant is going to be different.  Even if each restaurant was an Italian restaurant, they would each be different.  The staff would be different, the taste of the food, the atmosphere, the menus, etc.  Each one of these details would be different and as a result, all those little details create a different experience for the client.

What I failed to recognize back then was that I have UNIQUE qualities that I bring to this industry.  I mean, first, I’m a woman (which is rare in this industry), second I’m older (I’m 53 – can’t believe it!) which is REALLY rare in this industry, I’m also self taught which means that my “lingo” is not so techie.  I can convert the technical jargon that I read into plain speak for my clients.  And I will admit, that is the one consistent compliment I receive from my clients – they like how I talk.  Plain, simple, easy to understand.  And that factor alone is very comforting for so many small business owners who struggle to try to figure out what this Internet marketing “thing” is all about.

How Are You Unique?

So, how are you unique or different?   What obvious factors have you not thought about?  Well, take some time and think about them.  As your friends, colleagues, clients.  They’ll give you ideas.  Believe me, it’s always better to see yourself through someone else’s eyes than your own.  It’s more honest that way.

Here’s A Tip – It’s All In The Details

What I recognize now is that it’s really all in the details.  I mean, what I do as far as Internet marketing is not much different (if at all) from what other Internet marketers do.  I mean, there’s only so much that can be done when dealing with machines anyway.  But, it’s the little details that make me unique that I failed to recognize.  Just like the scenario of restaurants that I talked about earlier, there are unique factors in each one of them.

Take a look at Mike Stimpson’s website, he’s just another photographer – there are millions of them.  But he love Lego and he loves to play with lighting.  So, look at what he did.  It’s just a simple little detail.  This makes him unique.  This makes him different and subsequently makes him stand out from the pack.

So go ahead, find out your unique qualities and put them on your website.  Let the world know how you’re different from the others in your industry.  You’ll create your own niche and a band of followers.

If this trend continues, basically, every 7 months there will be a 5% increase in Twitter users.  Again, that may not seem like much but in 14 months, about 25% of Internet users will be on Twitter.  That’s getting into some numbers!

The article on Mashable breaks down who uses Twitter – it may give you an insight to learn if your target audience can be found on Twitter.

So, don’t discount tweeting as a marketing tool.  Here are some tips on how to use Twitter for marketing your small business.

1) Tweet about your industry, new events, everyday events, etc.  In other words – keep the talk conversational – don’t sell.

2) Respond to tweets and try to be consistent – don’t just tweet when you feel like it.  Make it a point to check your twitter twice a day – spend 10 minutes – it’ll be worth it.

3) Use twitter to monitor your company, your industry, your brand, your name.  Simply go to http://search.twitter.com and conduct a search just like you would on Google.  You’ll find every mention.  You’ll be able to respond to positive and/or negative – it’s the responsible thing to do.

These days, connecting with the planet is easy, and not so intriguing, but what I do find intriguing is the creativity that so many people have. It’s just amazing! I think for any of us in business, it’s very easy to lose some of that “excitement” that comes from creativity – simply because we’re so tied down to the business end of things. But I encourage you to try your best to step back and look at what you’re doing for a living with a bit more creativity. How can you spice it up?

What prompted this post? A fellow web designer sent me this video which showcases this particular company’s creative side! I loved it! Hope you do too.

After all, just because you can drive a car, does it mean that you’ll be able to learn how to build one? And if you do learn how to build one will you then have time to actually drive it?

But, in the past few years, since the recession really began, I’ve been receiving more and more of these calls from small business owners. I can’t blame them, they’re trying to save as much money as possible. I can certainly understand that.

But I’m afraid that what’s actually happening is that they’re falling for the scam artists who are telling them they can get much more traffic or they “guarantee” a top placement or some other magical Internet marketing scheme.

Internet marketing for small businesses is not as easy as it looks.

It’s not rocket science, that’s for sure. But at the same time, it’s not something that you can learn in a day or even a month or a year. Believe me, I’ve been doing this now for 11 years and I’m still learning. Mostly because the Internet is still changing. It’s never ending and if you don’t keep up with the changes, you can’t market effectively.

So, make sure that when you cut your small business budget you do so for the things that don’t affect your direct income. And for heaven’s sake, please be careful about the scammers who promise you the moon and the stars. You don’t want to be just another one of their victims.

If you own a small business and have any Internet marketing questions, contact me, I’ll be happy to answer your questions.

The cost factor will soon be taken care of as Broadcom just announced that they would be introducing Android phones for under $100.00.  At that price, you can be sure that the number of smart phone users will increase.

The “learning curve” factor is always in play – after all – it’s much easier to use any product that you’ve already mastered vs. learning a new one.  There’s always going to be a percentage of the population that simply don’t like change, no matter what the benefits of that change may be.

The “I don’t know what I would use it for…” is an argument that is quickly fading away.  I have a good example for you.  I have a friend who is in her late 50′s.  For years she has been touting this argument.  She doesn’t need computers, doesn’t know why she would use them or for what.  There’s just no need to learn it or try it.

Last month I received an email from her.  The very first email she ever sent out.  Why did she change her mind?  Because so many of her friends and family have moved away – it’s almost impossible to stay in touch with everyone.  With a computer, she can SEE them (yes, her computer has a camera) and she can keep in touch with a greater number of people than if she tried calling everyone on the phone.   She admits it’s not been easy to learn it but she loves the outcome.

My point is, if my friend – who was so adamant about not needing computer technology – has not succumbed to it. then there’s just no doubt in my mind that everyone will soon be using not only PC’s but smartphones even more.

So, if you haven’t yet begun using a smart phone, you will soon, 2011 is touted as the year that mobile phones will take over the US.  And if you’re a small business you will seriously want to consider doing marketing for mobile technology.  There’s just no getting around it any longer.

1) 54% of respondents to a survey by Mashable …”indicated that their businesses currently have websites.” They went on to report that most of these websites only contain general information and less than 50% of these websites have any customer service features.

2) 49% of small business owners use smartphones (this outpaces the average American).

3) 30% of small business websites have e-commerce.

4) Cloud computing is already being used by many small businesses. Although there are no numbers yet, just look around, you’ll notice many small businesses using some kind of web-based and/or mobile app for their business.

What do these stats indicate?

That there’s plenty of room for small businesses to grow on the Internet, that there are more websites (than not) that have yet to take advantage of the Internet and that mobile is the future of the Internet.

That’s my conclusion. What’s yours?

That’s just not true.  No where near true!

Blogging is about talking and the truth is, every business owner can talk about their business.  (Usually to the point where everyone else is rolling their eyes – but you know what I mean!).  Our businesses are our “babies” – our “life projects” and we’re proud of the work we do in them.  And proud of any successes as well!  As we should be!

Anyway, back to blogging.  I was sent an article published on CNN Money’s Fortune blog which hits the nail on the head about this blogging/talking concept.  Only they gave it a very fancy name.  They call it “Corporate Transmedia Storytelling”.

The title of the article is “Why Storytelling Is Essential For Business Leaders“.    As someone who sees dozens and dozens of website statistics every week I’m here to tell you that blogging does work.  It’s not a magic solution, it’s not quick like PPC, but it’s steady, it’s long reaching and it will bring you to target audiences you didn’t even know existed.

So, grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) and sit down and read this article.  You’ll love it and hopefully, I’ll have to do less arguing in the future!

In the list of “to do’s” is our branding. We’re changing our logo, changing our look! Moving from Jeans to Suits if you will – growing up. Exciting, nerve wracking and exhausting all at the same time!

It’s been an extremely long time since I’ve worked on building a logo and I forgot how difficult it was! If you find yourself in this stage here are some things to consider…

1) Talk with everyone! I mean everyone! My hairdresser Carly gave me an idea of using “keys” as part of the logo. ‘Key to success’ type of thing. I liked it, but when I started investigating I found many other Internet Marketing firms with the same concept.

2) Use your mission statement as part or all of your slogan.  It will remind you continuously of why you’re in business and what your purpose is.

3) Does the “symbol” of the logo have to “match” the slogan?  I haven’t decided yet!  What do you think?

4) If possible, consider involving the name in the logo.  I mean as part or all of the “symbol”.  This not only makes it unique but will go further to embed the company name in your visitors’ mind.

5) Of course, the downside of being “too unique” a symbol is that it is the only symbol of it’s kind, therefore, there’s nothing out there to further “remind” the visitor of your company.  For example, let’s say you chose a key as your logo, it could be that your visitors, once they are familiar with your brand, they may think of your company everytime they see a key.  The common object is a great “reminder” of you.  (The magnet on the refrigerator idea!).

6) Keep It Simple!  My graphic designer is constantly telling me to keep it simple.  Make sure the graphic is in vector and the lines/concept is simple.  It’ll be much easier to copy for future marketing such as business cards, tshirts, mugs, etc.

7) Colours – what can I say about colours!  I would love to maintain the burnt orange in Eckweb but the feedback I’m getting from focus groups is “NO”.  So, we’ll have to experiment with that one.  But the idea is, Use Focus Groups!!!  That is, get the opinions of folks who have never seen your website before.  It’s invaluable.

Well, hope this information was useful.  And keep checking our site at Eckweb.com.  We’re in the midst of changes and we’re looking to have the new version completed by the end of the year.

So, here are some tips that I can share with you (hopefully, they will help).

1) Don’t get annoyed (at least, don’t sound annoyed) when you answer the phone.  Answer as friendly as you possibly can with full intentions of helping this person on the line.  They pay your bills after all!

2) Don’t think about how you’re feeling or how backed up you are – think ONLY about what the client is saying and/or what they may be needing.

3) If you don’t know the answer right away, say so!  Tell the client you’re going to look into it and get back to them.  Believe me, they’ll respect you more!  In today’s fast paced world (especially with Internet marketing) it’s impossible to keep up with every bit of news that comes out hourly.  You’re not a robot, you’re human, so act like it.

4) Keep your answers as short as possible and as “un-tech” as possible.  Speak in laymans terms, explain processes, don’t just name the process.  The term “keyword research” doesn’t mean anything if the client doesn’t know what’s entailed in that process.  So, instead of saying “keyword research” you can tell the client that you’ll be looking at several programs that collect keyword phrases that are being typed in to search engines.  You’re looking for the keyword phrases that apply to their website goals.  I know, this takes a little longer than just saying “keyword research” but it’ll make much more sense to your client and it’ll help to avoid any unrealistic expectations about your services.

5) Always work on improving your services.  That means upgrading, modifying, etc.  Tell your clients what’s happening – they’ll appreciate the fact that you’re working to improve your business and their success!

Well, I hope these tips help to remind you how important your clients are to your business.

I don’t get it.

But yesterday, I saw a little flashlight at the end of this long tunnel.

I was speaking with a client who has been “dragging their feet” on getting the Internet marketing process begun on their website.  She admitted she had taken too long, but she was now ready and wanted it right away!!

What turned her around?

She placed ads in local papers, yellow book and local radio for her new day spa in Fort Lauderdale and got ZILCH results.  She sent out 300 emails and got a 10% result.  Cost for the print ads?  (She wouldn’t tell me).  Cost for the emails?  (Just her time).  She told me, “Print is dead…” – I think she finally gets it!!

So, the next time your Internet Marketing manager tells you to make a change to your website or to add something, etc.  Listen to them!!!!  They’re not just blowing smoke up you know what…they’re telling you what they know, that Online direct marketing and social media marketing (in other words, Internet) are where your customers are and where your sales are!